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Saturday, February 2, 2013

The warm light of the portal washed over her as they approached, melting some the anger that was simmering in her head. She stole a quick glance at James as he neared her side, moving along with her and Alice. The look he gave her was determined yet filled with regret; it was the closest they were going to get to some kind of momentary cease fire. He wasn’t sorry about what he said, just how he said it; asking her to forget about Thomas, as if that could ever happen. She knew they were talking amongst themselves now; Thomas had wasted what little strength he had left to argue with her and persuade James to continue with the bullying. He had retreated into the pagoda and refused to respond. It was all so stupid, she knew what she had to do and she wasn’t about to let them talk her out of it. Thomas was not going to walk out of her life like that and she wasn’t going to let James help him.
They were three, connected so closely at one point it was hard to tell whose thought had originated in whose head. It had changed over the time she was gone, they had changed, but whatever made them as close as they were, was struggling to keep the connection strong, remodeling itself to accommodate the changes that time had inflicted on them. She still loved James in the same way she had before, it hadn’t changed for her, but it had for him, he had felt the bond between her and Thomas deepen and it bothered him. Despite the pain, he understood that they were joined forever in a way that only those like them could ever know and he was determined to keep her safe. He and Thomas were working against her, trying to stop the inevitable. What they both failed to realize however was that she understood that sometimes love required sacrifice and she was willing to sacrifice to make this right. That’s exactly what they did not want her to do.
James, for his part was pushing at her just as hard to get his point across, wanting only to keep her safe and focused; trying to honor Thomas’ last request of him. He fought with his need to comfort her and the desire to get through to her, stubborn girl. In the past he would have found dealing with her like this to be a bit more intimidating, he knew she was stronger than him, her gifts were enhanced yet not operating at full capacity. But he was growing stronger too; he felt it the moment the shift had begun. When the Keepers had left, warmth had spread through him, like the presence of a thousand souls passing through his body. They were whispering to him, imparting wisdom as they left, telling him that the world was going crazy and that he was the voice of reason; capable of calming and controlling those left to deal with the insanity. His voice was all that was required to hold back the evil instincts that now resided in all those occupying the surface. There were still those that could resist, but he could get through to so many of them. Sara was the key to finding Braccus’ weak spot and it was now his job to make sure that she stayed safe, whether she liked it or not.
Not, she shot back before turning to Alice and holding out her hand. Alice in turn took James’ hand and they moved slowly through the opening.
We will not be afraid Alice heard Sara’s voice in her head, trying to convince her of this but knowing that they already were. Thankful for the effort, she squeezed her friend’s hand and walked through the opening in front of her. The narrow opening only allowed for them to enter single file, each grasping the hand of the person in front. Somehow Sara had managed to angle herself in front of Alice and had to listen to James giving her a good verbal thrashing for her efforts. He inserted herself into her head, looking at everything as she saw it, his powers of persuasion ready to go through her if necessary to protect her. She was angry with him, but grudgingly accepted his pushy behavior, sure that she could have ejected him any time she wanted, well almost sure. He was putting out a little bit more energy than she had felt from him before, causing a stir of protest from Thomas indicating he had noticed something too.
She felt his anger for just an instant and then it was gone, as if he remembered that he wasn’t going to interact with her at all and retreated to the place he had been relegated to. He wasn’t supposed to be here, she should have let him go but James was going stronger, getting closer to her and even though he resented being here, he resented James being where he was more. Thomas paced restlessly across an ornate tile floor; the patterns embossed on the smooth surface were very beautiful. He knew she had something to do with that. The pictures were all of growing things, very realistically created to bring pleasurable memories of his youth and doing what he loved so much. Needing to connect to her somehow, despite his resolve not to, he looked through the window of the pagoda and froze. The landscape he was familiar with, the one he had created for her years ago, with the pleasant green grass and large trees had been replaced with a land stripped bare of all living things.
Blackened earth was all he saw, littered throughout with large gaping holes and filled with black goo; the earth was bleeding from vicious wounds, inflicted upon it by someone filled with hate. Dead trees lined the ground, their bare limbs sticking up in the air like arms reaching for the sky seeking some sort of assistance from above, assistance that had not been granted. Where was this place? Thomas surveyed the scene, looking for a clue; reaching outward with his senses, trying to connect with the land, make it tell him what he was seeing. As if responding to his query, a hazy object shimmered into view and his gaze was drawn to a large structure looming in the distance. The building, an eerie three story monstrosity with a peaked roof bordered by some kind of fancy wooden trim, only this trim moved, making a tinkling sound in the wind. He squinted to get a better look at the house, and was surprised, well not really, to note that his vision adjusted quite quickly. It was like wearing glasses with some kind of super zoom lenses, he could now see clearly that the trim was constructed of bones. Human leg bones hung neatly next to a row of slender finger bones, arm and ankle bones. Among the grisly connection, a skull hung directly in the center of the top most peak of the roof; it hung there with a permanent grin, swinging in the breeze, empty sockets staring out at the desolate land.
The hulking construction, painted a strange color of black and red, squatted in the center of a field. The lower level boasted a large covered porch on each side of the building facing north, south east and west with a bright red door sitting dead center of each of them. Each subsequent level had a row of windows that covered the entire side of the grotesque abode, each of which was filled with panes of dull red glass, glowing in the semi darkness like pools of old blood. His vision was astoundingly acute now, it was as if he were rotating above the house, taking in every detail in a three dimensional panorama, seeing each side of it and the land below.
The house itself appeared to be resting on a mountainous pile of dead tree trunks, limbs, broken stone, and various other pieces of refuse from the land around it. A path of crushed black stone descended from each entrance and ran the length of the field, disappearing into darkness past piles of rubble and pacing forms of enemy soldiers. He noted with interest that each of the four roads descending from the structure was patrolled by small groups of Ornose; their fat bloated gray bodies shared space with one or two pale stick thin figures he knew to be Garren, all turned toward small pools of light just to the right of each path, staring at them fixedly as if waiting for something to emerge.
Thomas shook his head as the vision changed and he was looking directly at Alice’s lovely face. He was glad to see her again; it was then that he realized he was seeing all this through Sara’s eyes. She turned her head and he was facing James, jealousy flared up, burning painfully through his stomach, making him a little bit sick. He turned from the window, took a deep breath and looked up again, facing the scene with tear filled eyes. At first the picture he was receiving was a little hazy and he felt a sudden jolt, as if she were just returning part of herself to her physical form. He had been part of the storm with her, watching what he knew to be the remnants of one of the worlds. He felt her sorrow at seeing the changes that had occurred to what had been a beautiful place. She had never been here but she knew it intimately through memories passed on to her from Shalsar. This was the Land of Sherin, one of the worlds next to the Land of the Keepers and it, like all the other worlds was suffering through the shift in power.
Thomas had visited Sherin many times, he had a feel for places and even before he picked up Sara’s thoughts, he recognized what little was left of this one. It had been the home of wonderful creatures called the Surrens, little pale rose colored creations with light purple hair and soft cherubic features. Plump rosy cheeks and big pink eyes with long dark lashes gave them the appearance of innocent young children, an impression that was soon dispelled once they spoke. They were highly intelligent, acting swiftly and often ruthlessly to do their intended task. Adept at moving in and out of the different worlds, they were charged with watching, much like the Keepers did but with a slightly darker purpose. Their mission was to watch evil’s comings and goings and limit its access through the portals. A mission they accomplished by attacking their enemies with the wickedly sharp daggers carried at their sides, sending their bodies back into the abyss they had emerged from as Iam dictated, or if it was to be allowed, letting a few pass through to their intended destination.
Evil was an understood companion to all that was good, its presence was acknowledged as part of the balance; it was to be tolerated only to a certain extent and then allowed to advance no further. Iam had charged the Surren with keeping the tide of evil from becoming too heavy in all the worlds. Sherin was in fact, the center point of entry between worlds and had served as a watch tower and major fortress against the shadowy figures that spread hatred and discontent by slipping through the portals to infiltrate the populations of various creations. Several tall ivory towers had stood in this spot overlooking the portals, joined by a wall of thick stone, where the deceptively mild looking inhabitants had tirelessly kept watch, going into action to remove a threat when the need arose.
The buildings were gone now, as well as the lovely blue grass that used to carpet the countryside. The black barked trees with golden leaves were flattened; pieces of the glittery foliage visible beneath the ugly building now blocking the crossroads. He continued to observe this world through the window, feeling his friend’s nervousness as they stood cloaked by Alice’s bubble, not sure which direction to take, every movement fraught with uncertainty. James was sending out mental feelers into the heads of the guards that watched the roads at various points, standing just outside the shimmering portals of various colors hanging in the air just a few hundred feet from the huge building. They were watching for any signs of entry, just as the Sherin had before but their intent was to kill anyone that came through.
Sara and her friend’s entrance had caused a slight ripple in the west portal but James had convinced them that it was just an energy fluctuation while Alice’s shield had hidden them from view. Alice had managed to warn them with her vision of what lay beyond the barriers, preparing them somewhat for what they were walking into, but it was still shocking to see the changes that had occurred because of the shift. Sara was using Shalsar’s memories to find out what they needed to do next, scared to make any sudden moves lest they be detected. They stood frozen on the path as enemy eyes turned toward the flickering doorway, the faint ripple and sparks that accompanied their entry had created a sudden interest in the area around it.
Twelve red eyes glowed in the poor lighting as two Ornose moved toward them, trodding heavily on the ground, lips pulled back in grins of anticipation as they scanned the surrounding area looking for potential victims, only to stop short when James’ suggestion took effect. Three very relieved travelers sagged against each other, stifling sighs as James directed the watchers to turn and walk away, gazing intently on the ground for signs of movement.
As they stood perfectly still trying to decide which way to proceed, Thomas looked toward the porch, his eyes drawn there by the movement of a door swinging outward. A tall dark haired figure moved slowly onto the porch and into the dim lighting that was standard for this new world. A shaft of sunlight so weak it barely penetrated the wall of clouds in front of it, shone down onto the figure illuminating the face clearly causing Thomas to catch his breath and turn away. He couldn’t stand to see his own face staring straight at the spot where his friends stood hidden, smiling as if he just won the lottery.

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Book 5

Book 5

Dying was easier than she expected; there was no pain, no lingering horrific death scene in which she realized she would never see her loved ones again, just total silence and the nagging question of what she was supposed to do next. Standing perfectly still in the nothingness, Sara thought about the events that brought her here; Vincent had just touched her and she was gone. Gone, as not in the somewhat stable plain of the living world; but her limbs had feeling, the ground beneath her was hard and she was clasping two very solid hands in front of her while a cool breeze caressed her face.
Should she feel different somehow being dead; a little angry, sad, or happy that she was beyond all the misery going on with the living? Should she stop and mourn herself for a moment, after all she had been so young when she died. Stupid random thoughts for such a serious moment, but she couldn’t seem to make them stop tumbling around her head.
Everything she had ever heard about the afterlife was totally at odds with what she was feeling at the moment, like a lightning bolt waiting to burst through the clouds. Death shouldn’t be this way; it was more like eternal night wasn’t it, the end of it all. It was so strange to feel more alive than when she was actually alive and it made absolutely no sense at all.
Sara stood in her little spot in the middle of white cotton candy-like clouds waiting for sadness and regret to overtake her but was surprised to feel happy, loved and definitely not alone. Puzzled, she turned her head slightly and was overcome by joy at the sight of two very familiar people standing next to her staring at the same overcast scene she was. Thomas and James had somehow managed to pass through the barrier with her to the land of the dead. How had that happened?
She struggled to find a good reason for this; her brief moment of happiness shattered by the reality of what their presence here meant. For them to be here, it could only mean one thing, they were dead also. As they turned pasty pale faces towards her, she fell to her knees wailing in despair at the realization that they must have done this to stay with her. Thomas’ eyes showed startlingly bright green against his pale skin as he knelt down to hug her tightly. James light brown skin an ashy color against the darkness of his eyes; joined him as they all huddled together; no one spoke as she cried for the sacrifice that had made to be with her.

Book 4

Book 4 Chaos Confusion and Changing of the Guard

Sunlight so bright and yellow, it could have been melted butter, shown down on trees crisp, green and breathtakingly alive. These trees rose toward the sky as if to touch the sun, their leaves vibrating softly in the air in silent communication with the bright yellow orb, giving thanks for the privilege of being in this beautiful place. Grass, thick and green sprouted from dirt dark, soft, moist and teaming with an army of fat juicy earthworms and other assorted insects. Sparkling blue water bubbled from the ground to flow into a rocky stream bed to gurgle its way toward distant hills, like a blue ribbon winding its way across the emerald green grass.
The sound of birds chirping sounded from the tree-tops as they launched themselves into a sky that was bright blue with a few puffy white clouds added almost like decorations. Deer and rabbits cavorted freely on the ground below not accustomed to seeking refuge in the brush for they had no enemy from which to hide. This world was clean and unspoiled; no litter cluttered the landscape, the air was pure and unseen, as air was meant to be. Man had not yet ruffled Mother Nature's feathers by dumping the products of his existence in her lap. In short, this place was as it had been intended to be, paradise, a fresh start, the beginning of it all.
As the sun shown down on this idyllic scene, a small hairline crack appeared in the perfect sky and gradually began to widen. Darkness spilled from the ever-widening gap, spreading its way across the treetops to slither serpent-like towards the ground leaving a trail of decay in its wake. Brittle black branches snapped and fell from trees that just moments before had been healthy and thriving. Grass shriveled and sank into soil now crumbled and dry from contact with the descending darkness, leaving dead worms and beetles littered throughout.
The animals noticed the change immediately. Ears perked up as they shuffled nervously, deer broke into a run; pursued closely by the inky stain that now resembled a skinny arm. Slender fingers groped frantically for thin brown hindquarters as they scrambled out of reach into the forest. Birds took to the air; wings flapping so hard feathers were knocked loose, falling to the ground in a crazy slow motion spiral. Dozens of footfalls shook the ground as the formerly calm creatures ran for their lives; most made it away in time, the will to live giving them incredible speed. The formerly crowded field was almost empty, a few of the slower animals hesitating, unsure of the direction of the threat, noses twitching and ears perked up to detect the slightest movement, seeking a source for their unease.
A white long-haired rabbit pushed itself into the air with its powerful back legs only to be pulled down into the soil, its terrified squeals quickly muffled by the thick dry crust of dirt that covered it. A large buck sprinting for the trees met a similar fate, its antlers being the only object still visible above its earthen grave. A dead mole, having tried to escape the hardened crust below lay pale and sightless on the ground, surrounded by several small black ants, and a large brown spider.

Book 3 The Return

Book 3 The Return

The sun rose and set, seasons passed. People got up in the morning, went to work, celebrated holidays, took vacations, and went about their daily routines. In short, life went on for everyone except a young golden haired girl named Sara. She slept as life continued for the rest of the world, unaware of the events taking place around her.
Four years passed, she got older, grew taller, and went through the changes people do as they grow up but she wasn't aware of any of this. She missed of all the birthday party's Rianna celebrated at her side as she sat holding her hand. Her lovely face remained relaxed and expressionless as her friends visited day after day, hoping that Olie had found a way to reverse the spell that Braccus, their mortal enemy, had placed upon her. Yet, after all this time, she still slept and as always, Thomas was there.
Thomas sat in a chair, sunlight warming his face as he stared at Sara's sleeping form. It was strange watching her sleep year after year. He knew that Olie had done the only thing he could to ease her suffering when he put her in this deep sleep. Her every waking moment would have been misery if he hadn't stepped in to help her. Braccus had invaded her mind and made it impossible for her to communicate with her friends. She couldn't touch them or listen to them without experiencing intense pain and nausea. Worse still, it seemed that she was absorbing the powers of the other children when she came in contact with them. She had been afraid and alone when Olie stepped in and placed her under a sleeping spell.
Olie said she was safe in this sleep state, she wasn't aware of anything, but Thomas wasn't so sure. He had been here at her side every day since she had been put to sleep. He had slipped in and out of her mind. He felt her in there. He could hear her sometimes, in the distance, just out of reach, and yesterday, the first time in years, he was sure that she had been aware that he was there. Just like the first day when she had pushed him out of her mind. He was also aware that there was something else there, lurking outside the edge of the protective barrier, waiting for an opening, an evil presence looking for a way to get to Sara's soul and destroy it. He was not going to let it happen, he was so close, he could feel it. He was going to have to get through to her soon before it found a way to break down the barrier.

Book 2

Book 2 Evolution of Us

It was by all accounts a very strange day in the history of the community called Fairville. True, the weather had been a little unseasonably cool the past couple of weeks, especially for the month of May, but today it had actually snowed on the west part of town. What was even stranger was the fact that just a mile away from the snowstorm, residents reported temperatures to be at least one hundred degrees with bright sunshine and high humidity.
Driving between the two areas was very interesting to say the least, and officials of the National Weather Agency were dispatching scientists to observe the phenomenon. Several reporters from various news agencies were also rushing to the area to record the weird weather activity.
There was talk now of other strange weather incidents that had been occurring in and around the area for about six months, incidents that the residents had been able to reason away until this extreme event. Little things, like rain that fell on only one city block and not in any other part of town; and the time that fog filled the area around the local school, but nowhere else.
The local weatherman had attributed all this to atmospheric changes caused by the ocean current due to their close proximity to the sea. Blah, blah, blah… No one understood a word he had said, but went along with it because he had to know what he was talking about, right? He was, after all, the weatherman.
So now, the town was becoming an area of much interest to several important national agencies and the normally small population was about to increase dramatically in a short time.
It was all everyone talked about now. For whatever reason, they were now to become celebrities, known for living in the town with the funny weather. The town buzzed with excitement at the imminent arrival of all these important people.
There were two people in town, however, to whom the excitement did not extend. These two people, a young girl and her guardian, had just arrived in town six months ago and had settled in to enjoy the relative peace and quiet of the town, when these events began to take place. And frankly, they were not happy with the sudden interest shown to their new home.

Sara Chronicles Book One

Someone had made a terrible mistake twelve years ago and had placed a homeless child in the care of Janet and Hugh Finklestein. How the infant grew to be a remarkable young girl, despite the minimal attention given to her care, was a downright miracle. She was a well-mannered, sweet child, well thought of by all who knew her. But the trouble was no one really knew her.
This girl, Sara, was a rather unique character in a world of ordinary people. She had an inner glow about her that made her stand out in a crowd. One never only looked once at her, they often looked second and third times as she made her way through a room. She carried herself well, shoulders straight, perfect posture, always so very careful to please. In fact, too careful; like she was walking on eggshells.
In conversation, she spoke slowly as if she were afraid to say the wrong thing, and she never made eye contact, even when speaking directly to someone. She never sought out others to speak to, but many people seemed to want to speak to her, to be near her. Many children tried to get to know her, but she remained as distant as ever. There was always an underlying fear in her, like she was a little rabbit in a world of rabid wolves.

book one

sara chronicles book one

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pond

my pond

Practice short story from years ago

The Big Game

The big game is tomorrow. It’s finally here. All that hard work, those extra hours spent practicing on
the basketball court when I could have been doing something else. But I didn’t want to do anything else,
this was about basketball. I love basketball. It all leads up to this, taking home the trophy at the state
championship tomorrow will prove we are the best team; the best players in the entire state. All these
thoughts were going through my head as I sat on my bed gently smoothing out my bright blue jersey
with the matching shorts before rising to carry them into the bathroom to hang them on the towel rack
where they would be ready for use tomorrow.
Sitting on the bed, I reached over to open the window beside it. It’s getting a little hot in here, I
thought sitting on the bed once again and fanning my face with my hand.
The phone started to ring then so I looked at the Caller I.D. and picked it up after seeing it was Jimmy.
Jimmy is my best friend. I’ve known him since I was in second grade.
“Hey, what’s up,” I said
“Nervous?” He asked me
“Yeah, but it’s only because I want to get this over with. How good do you think Hopewell High is
really.?”
“I think they’re a good team, but I think we’re better. Their defense is a little bit lame if you ask me,”
Jimmy answered with confidence.
“Yeah, you’re right. We have a pretty unbeatable team this year. All the guys are in top playing form.”
“Well, about that, Frank won’t be playing with us tomorrow. He got really sick and coach is going
to replace him with Hank Barton.”
“Now that you mention it, Frank has been a little green around the gills lately,” I stopped to
cough into my hand. “But Hank is really a good player and he’s attended all of the practices, so I’m
sure we’ll still do really well.”
“Of course, you’re right. Nothing to worry about, the game is in the bag.” Jimmy coughed into the
phone.
“Hey, you alright man, you sound a little rough,” I asked as I covered my mouth to muffle a sneeze.
“Oh, I’m o.k.” Jimmy said “My throat’s just a little bit dry. Did you just sneeze?”
“It’s just a little bit dusty in here that’s all. No problems with me.” I turned my head and wiped my
suddenly drippy nose on my shirt sleeve. “What are you going to do when this game is over and we have
a little down time?”
Jimmy told me he was interested in a girl in his geography class and he was planning to ask her out. I
told him that I was planning to ask out Sandy, the pretty blonde cheerleader. Maybe we could double
date. Jimmy said he thought that was a great idea, and we talked for a little longer before Jimmy said his
mom wanted him to get off the phone.
I’d better get to sleep soon. I thought glancing at the clock. I turned to pull back the covers, decided
it was chilly and shut the window before falling into the bed and into a deep sleep.
I woke up the next morning, feeling like me head was on fire. I could feel my hair sticking to my head
like it had been glued there with a super sticky substance. Raising my hand, I wiped off about ten gallons
of sweat from my forehead. I felt like I had been out in the sun all day and had a bad case of sunburn.
My eyes were burning like crazy as I focused on the door of my room.
I could hear Mom knocking and calling “Harvey, honey are you up yet?”
“I’m awake,” I croaked, trying to clear my throat, Please, please don’t open the door Mom! If I can
just splash a little cold water on my face, I know I’ll be o.k. I can’t miss this game. I can miss this game.
I can pull myself together, I know I can. So I tried to push myself out of bed real quick because I knew
if I made it to the bathroom, I could get ready and she would never know I had a little fever.
That quick move was a bad idea, cause now I felt dizzy and the doorknob was turning and in she
comes. She takes one look at me and shakes her head.
“Harvey, you look terrible!” She cried and rushed up to the bed. Now she was touching my head and
saying,” Oh, baby you’re so hot!”
She left the room and came back real fast with a thermometer. She slid it between my lips, which by
the way are so sore I want to cry. When she pulled it out again, I hear her say, “One hundred degrees!
I’m going to get you some medicine.”
How did I get so sick? I was in tip top shape when I went to sleep, well practically. There’s no way I’m
going to stay home. I’m not missing the big game! So as soon as she left the room to get the medicine, I
got up to make my way to the bathroom; because I knew that I could still play this game. I’d just have to
man it up a little. I’ll bet Michael Jordan wouldn’t have let a little fever stop him from playing. I stopped
to salute his poster on the wall before continuing my two mile journey to the bathroom. My feet were
so heavy, I felt like I was dragging ten pound weights on my ankles.
Finally, I reached the bathroom doorway! I felt a chuckle bubble up in my throat. This was so going to
work. I turned on the faucet and splashed the wonderfully cold water on my face. Boy did that feel
good! O.k., so a look in the mirror tells me that I look pretty crappy. But who cares as long as I can play.
A few careful moves has me in my uniform and once I get my sneaks on, I’m halfway there.
I was on my way to get them when in walks my mom. She takes one look at me, shakes her head
again and points to my bed.
“Mom!” I tried to say, but my throat was so sore, it was more like a squeak and a grunt. So I waddled
back to bed on legs that suddenly felt like soggy sponges and fell back into the covers. I think I fell asleep
shortly after she gave me some cold medicine.
I was so mad when I woke up. Boy was I going to give Frank a piece of my mind, that germy jerk had
Caused me to miss the state championship! It was then that I learned that not one single player had
been able to attend the game. It seems Frank has a cousin who just transferred to Hopewell High and
joined the basketball team. Apparently, he recently visited Frank and; the rest as we say is history. Since
both teams were sick during the game, it has been rescheduled for next week. Now all I have to worry
about is how I’m going to ask Sandy out after we win the game.

The End

James

Thomas

sara

We're Not Gonna Take It!

go ronnie!

Someone had made a terrible mistake twelve years ago and had placed a homeless child in the care of Janet and Hugh Finklestein. How the infant grew to be a remarkable young girl, despite the minimal attention given to her care, was a downright miracle. She was a well-mannered, sweet child, well thought of by all who knew her. But the trouble was no one really knew her.This girl, Sara, was a rather unique character in a world of ordinary people. She had an inner glow about her that made her stand out in a crowd. One never only looked once at her, they often looked second and third times as she made her way through a room. She carried herself well, shoulders straight, perfect posture, always so very careful to please. In fact, too careful, like she was walking on eggshells.In conversation, she spoke slowly as if she were afraid to say the wrong thing, and she never made eye contact, even when speaking directly to someone. She never sought out others to speak to, but many people seemed to want to speak to her, to be near her. Many children tried to get to know her, but she remained as distant as ever. There was always an underlying fear in her, like she was a little rabbit in a world of rabid wolves.